Jabberwocky

(Terry Gilliam, UK 1977, 105 min., 35mm)

Monty Python at 50. Terry Gilliam’s directing debut stars fellow Python Michael Palin as a young cooper’s apprentice who travels from his village to the city in an effort to win his dying father’s approval and the hand of the fair Griselda. What the apprentice finds is a populace (ruled by King Bruno the Questionable) afraid for their lives under threat of attack from Jabberwocky the dragon. Unwittingly appointed the kingdom’s hero, the apprentice is sent to face the dragon and earn his fame. Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem, Gilliam layers on the Python-esque nonsense in his unique visual style. Note later start time.